Back in the spring, I started seeing these cute, bedazzled market totes pop up everywhere, both in fashion and home decor. I have always loved straw totes, but the ones I was seeing had seriously upped their style game with the addition of tassles, pom poms and the like. When I saw this little cutie at Target for $34.00, I knew I had to hop on the trend train and buy it!

I am a sucker for pom poms and these colorful straw ones on the front of the tote made me swoon a little.

I am always a huge fan of any item that is stylish AND functional. Once I got this beauty home, I started thinking of all the ways I could put it to use. Straw market tote how I love you, let me count the ways!

Take it outside!

1.Picnic Bag

Wouldn't it be nice to pack this little beauty up with your favorite picnic essentials and head to your favorite outdoor spot. For me, potato chips are an integral part of my outdoor dining experience.

One of my favourite Target items is this outdoor picnic blanket. They seem to come out with new ones every summer and I lost (ie, can't find it in my garage!) my previous one so bought the tropical floral one pictured in the basket. I love how they fold up so nicely into a small tote size and even have a handle. Very practical, but also stylish. Win win!

And is it just me, or do things taste better when you have cute coordinated dishes?

Did you know that eating fruits and veggies immediately before or after consuming potato chips totally cancels out their caloric value? True story.

2.Storing Beach Towels

Shortly after purchasing this tote, I was browsing the aisles of Homesense. For my American friends, Homesense is exactly like your Homegoods. They are even owned by the same company but just go by a different name in our neck of the woods. Anyway, I was shopping at Homesense and came across these towels which went into my shopping cart when I realized how cute they would look in my tote.

I know that matchy matchy is out, but when I saw how the towels coordinated with the colors of the pom poms, it made my eyeballs super happy. I love how the neutral color and texture of the straw contrasts with the bright colors.

For styling purposes, I set this tote of towels down on our dock, doesn't it look pretty?

Now picture 3 dripping wet kids reaching for these pretty towels and knocking my straw tote in the Lake...that is a more realistic image!

The other great thing about using this tote to stash towels is that it's so portable. Great for the beach, the Lake or the pool...wherever your water adventures may happen!

3. Outdoor storage

If you look outside on my back deck, at any given time you will probably see water toys, flip flops, magazines and toys...evidence of a space well used. However, if I do manage to find time to sit out there and read a magazine, I feel way more relaxed without stuff laying around, so I could use this tote to do a quick clean up. I could also use it to stash extra throw cushions and outdoor blankets which we like to keep on hand for evening time when the temperature drops.

Love this fun outdoor cushion I found at Walmart last year...

Just like with the beach towels above, I love how the cushions coordinate with the pom poms. I made these cushion covers using Kelly Rippa fabric I found at Joann. The bright, colorful watercolor pattern is so pretty!

Bring it Back Inside

Just because we only officially have 10 days of summer left doesn't mean I am going to retire this little beauty until next summer. There are plenty of ways to use a straw tote inside.

4. Magazine Storage

I know in this digital age we live in, magazines are available online, but I still love the experience of browsing through a magazines.

This tote is a perfect spot to corral magazines and/or catalogues...I love reading those as well.

I spy with my little eye .... a cute Market tote on the cover of this magazine! See what I mean? Trending!

The stash pictured here is quite heavy, #magazinehoarder. If you are using a tote for this purpose, pick a good spot to place it because you won't be able to move it around without emptying it first. I quite like it right beside my favorite comfy chair!

5. Cushions and Throw Blankets

In our house, we are all about getting cozy. It seems like I can never have enough throw pillows and blankets. My girls have been known to have a throw down over a particular green fuzzy pillow that lives on our sectional. Sigh.

This straw tote is the perfect place to store these items...this looks better than having things on the floor which is often where they end up!

I was looking for a new throw blanket to add to the mix and I fell in love with this one from Target. It is chunky and soft and feels like you are wrapping yourself up in your favorite sweater.

Here, I have used the tote as a catch-all beside my favorite chair. This is a recipe for relaxation-pretty book+cozy blanet+pillow=heaven! Just add tea and chocolate and I might never leave this spot!

Emily Henderson's book is not only beautiful to look through but offers really great advice for figuring our your style and decorating your home with things you love. I call it my textbook.

6. Bath Towel Storage

One of my favorite ways to combine function with style is to use practical items as décor. Just like this tote was cute for holding beach towels outside, it's just as cute for storing bath towels in the house. My kids each have a spot to hang up their towel on the back of the bathroom door, but I like to keep extras at the ready.

The simple white towels look clean and fresh while the colorful pom poms add some fun!

7. Toilet Paper Storage

Just as important as having clean towels at the ready in the family bathroom, I like to keep a stash of toilet paper handy. Probably because I am the only one that changes the roll, and have had to shout out a toilet paper SOS too many times to count.

I didn't count how many rolls I fit in here, but it was a lot. Enough to prevent a TP emergency from happening anytime soon!

8. Toy Storage

Before I became a parent, I used to think that stuffed animals were the most useless thing ever. Well, wouldn't you know that all three of my kids LOVE them. So of course the first thing that came to mind when I was thinking of how to use this in a kids room or playroom...corral the stuffies!

This tote can hold quite the impressive stuffy collection. I think the pom poms are in line with the fabulous pink pony hair!

It would be great beside a play kitchen to store all the dishes and food, the essential pieces for pretend culinary mastery!

The handles and portability of this tote would make clean-up a breeze! Why is it that my kids are older now, but I can still hear Barney singing the clean up song in my head as I type this?

Look how well these board games and puzzles fit in here?

So as you can see, this cute little straw tote can be used in so many ways. Its pretty AND practical! Hopefully this post has given you some inspiration! Have you jumped on the Straw market tote trend, and if so, how do you use yours?